"Narry Kinnis!"

Bow-adorned Cael poses with the gifts from Auntie, Uncle Ray, and his Davis cousins.
He loves the Play-Doh, Cars' slippers, and the candy. He's also sporting the new pajamas he got on Christmas Eve from Mom and Dad.

Little Schroeder tickles his new ivories, aka a keyboard from Mom and Dad.

I am the luckiest boy alive.

Aunt Julie has made his life with the Handy Manny workbench.
Dad and Cael made this birdhouse using the blueprint and materials provided.

CHRISTMAS:
1. Woke Cael up. Opened presents. From Santa: Treats in stocking; book; gloves to play in the snow; Mickey Mouse Clubhouse IXL game; of course, SNOW on Christmas Eve Eve day
From Mom and Dad: book, puzzles, memory game, along with keyboard
2. Breakfast at Gramma's
3. Church: Cael cried upon finding out he would not be going to class/nursery that day.
4. Woodruff to visit family... More gifts: LeapFrog toy from Aunt Kirsti and Jalen; money from Grandma and from Great-grandpa; Handy Manny toy from Aunt Julie
5. Holbrook to visit more family: Still more gifts: From Aunt Amber and Uncle Chad - cute outfit of pants, sweater, and shirt... From Grandpa and Grandma - soccer ball, football, and basketball; new outfit of pants, shirt, and vest; pop-up book; two movies
6. Home, sweet, home and to all a good night

7. Addendum: On Tuesday, we were taking down the Christmas decorations, and Cael exclaimed, with a pout, "Me want Kinnas back!" We all do, buddy. We all do.

And there were shepherds abiding in their fields...

One of our family's Christmas Eve traditions is to have the kids play the parts of the nativity scene while I read an abbreviated version of the Christmas story. This year, Cael was the shepherd, a fitting part since he always steals Great-grandpa's cane, and Gramma happens to have a crook look-alike from a play vanity. A hooded towel, Mom's headband, and a stuffed sheep rounded out the outfit.

Cael took his job seriously, as one can see in the top picture, hugging his sheep as he gazed upon the baby Jesus (newborn cousin Emmie) below. After the play concluded, Cael did not want to take off his "coshume," leaving it on until we went to carol and look at lights in the back of Uncle Shane's pickup. It was only 28 degrees. We were crazy to go out on that cold clear night, but we made frozen-faced memories. Isn't that what it's all about?

Thank you, Santa

Well, this is the second year in a row that Cael's parents have sought out Santa on Christmas Eve to take their son to sit on the jolly old one's lap and get the annual picture. (What happened to that teacher Suzanne who was so well-planned and organized and would have had this task completed by early December? I, for one, would like to find her again.)

Needless to say, the neglectful parents have lucked out twice now by finding St. Nick the very day he is delivering his gifts around the world. This year, the man in red was at Basha's in Taylor, complete with an elf and Mrs. Claus. No line and no cost for pictures made this a great visit (Also, flour and Jalapeno Cheetos were on sale).

Santa was definitely not an imposter, with a real beard and a bowl-full-of-jelly belly. When he asked Cael what he wanted, Cael told him thank you for the snow he had already brought to him. Santa asked what else Cael wanted, but "sow" was it.

"Dossy Sownan" in our front yard

Frosty the Snowman was a jolly, happy soul,

with a corn cob (stick) pipe

and a button nose (yes, really)

and two eyes made out of coal (Milk Duds).

Making a Frosty the Snowman was Cael's Santa wish.

He wanted enough snow, but we all know that our area usually gets the diss.

There must have been some magic in that SJ baseball cap they got out of Dad's closet,

for two days after they placed it on his head, someone decided to steal it.

Frosty the Snowman

stood proudly for one day,

and Cael was thrilled and a bit chilled

until Frosty started to melt away.

Frosty the Snowman

was told, "Don't nelt, Dossy. Don't nelt!"

Yet the sun bore down upon the lawn

and a short-lived snowman we were dealt.

Still, Frosty the Snowman

made one little boy's Christmas bright.

Though two days prior to the big day,

of that detail we all lost sight.

Frosty the Snowman now has gone away,

but Cael knows that Santa Claus will bring him back again someday.

Thumpety-thump-thump

Thumpety-thump-thump

Look at Frosty go.

Thumpety-thump-thump

Thumpety-thump-thump

Over the couple of inches of snow.

Cael is...

...HELPFUL:

The elf hat is cute,

but he doesn't need it to help Mom.

He wants to aid me when I sweep, do laundry, dust, etc.

...COMPASSIONATE:

Apparently, he had to put a sweater on this bear because it was cold (The "sweater" is actually Grandma's tree skirt.).

...A THIEF:

He decided he needed these crutches

more than the injured person did.

...AGILE:

If he can climb it, he will.

...HANDY AS MANNY:

He keeps his monkey wrench in his belt loop

just in case.

...FUNNY:

"Mom, I tuck," I heard,

and I looked up from my kitchen chores to see this.

I told him to hang on while I took a picture.

...TIRED:

Well, after being all these things,

you'd be exhausted, too.

Say Cheese!

I love family picture time,

especially when we do it ourselves

(Nicole was kind enough to

snap some of the three of us.).

Cael has turned into quite the photogenic one,

posing (or trying to) like a pro.

Look for a few of these pics

on a Christmas card coming soon

or in a grandparents' home near you.

He says, "Cheese," with his whole body.

This is his big-boy picture.

Isn't it time to play with Dad's tie? Nicole called this an in-the-moment shot.

He wanted to make a grumpy face in this one, instead of a smiley face,
but he could barely contain his grin.

Football is on T.V. Like father, like son...

Mom is smiling big enough for all of us.

He's tired of picture-taking here, but he still manages to be as cute as ever.

This is pure Cael.

We are a hatty family.

 I told him to put his hands together, which worked best in this photo.

"Me have sick."

No matter how he is feeling, Cael is just so cute. For the few days before Thanksgiving, the little guy was sick with a stomach bug. In this picture, he is cuddling up with his dad and getting much-needed sleep. When I would ask him if he was feeling better, he would reply, "Me have sick." When I felt poorly one day, he patted my arm compassionately and said, "Mom have sick, too."

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

I love that you dipped your feet into both the cold and hot water
at the pool at Aunt Julie's.

I love that you watched shows while you stood in a tub at Aunt Julie's.

I love that you lined up all the balls you have for me to shoot into the basket in your room.
You also told me, "Frow balls in dare, Mom," as you put your pom-pom into the basket in demonstration.

I love that you ran and jumped into this pile of leaves in our backyard
and then proceeded to throw the leaves into the air.

I love your smile on the Polar Express.

I love that you love wearing hats.

Potty Training

Like almost everything he does, Cael has made potty training an adventure. We began a year and a half ago, and we are finishing now. Why did it take so long? Well, he went through a long period of toilet-fright, so that made it difficult. He also formed quite an attachment to his diapers, crying alligator tears at the mere mention of underwear. When Mom finally decided to buckle down and do this, come what may, it actually worked. Perhaps she should have slapped herself into reality earlier. Oh well. All my friends kept telling me not to worry about it: "He'll do it when he's ready." I didn't see any of them coughing up the twenty bucks for a box of diapers, though.

Cael going potty while playing his IXL

Cael has decided he likes to go George Costanza with his bathroom exploits, so he sits now in our bedroom, on the Cars' portable toilet, in his birthday suit, eating Apple Jacks and watching Dora. Blackmail for the teenage years? You betcha. The refrigerator repairman just left, and Cael came out buck naked to tell him goodbye. The kind man averted his eyes and said, "Have a good day, ma'am," probably wondering why my kid is running around with no clothes on when it is forty degrees outside. We do have a warm fire inside, lest peradventure you worry that his little tush is cold.

Throughout this ordeal, we have bribed and begged with all the energy of our souls. This potty chart went up a few months ago, with Cael quickly earning four stickers and quitting after that. As of Sunday afternoon, however, he had filled it. Monday Dad brought home the promised Buzz Lightyear, which has yet to leave Cael's sight. When this chart was full, he wouldn't go again until we had another chart up. He is now earning more stickers on a Blue's Clues' potty chart, with the promise of a new coloring book at the end (hey, Buzz was expensive). Also, he gets two stickers on the new chart for going pee pee or poo poo in the big toilet - only one sticker for going in the Cars' toilet. Cleaning out that thing is gross, especially when he goes number two. I gagged yesterday when he proudly showed me his present. How do you parents out there do this more than one time?

I cannot fathom.

A happy boy who accomplished a goal (his parents, not pictured, are smiling just as big)

Cowboy Trick-or-Treaters

We had a wonderful Halloween. It was even better than usual because you understood what was going on. You were excited to be a Cowboy (Mom was excited, too, because you already had everything for the costume. Thank you Aunt Amber and Uncle Chad and Aunt Sarah!), and you were the cutest buckeroo around.

We walked in the Halloween parade, and then we went home to wait for Dad to go trick-or-treating with us. Dad wanted a big belt buckle, so Mom made him the one he is wearing. He even got a free Coke at Circle K because of his costume. I love how you are looking up at Dad in this picture.

When I would tell you that you were going to be a cowboy for Halloween, you would say Mom was going to be a cowboy-girl, so here I am with my pink cowboy-girl hat.

We went to quite a few friends' and families' houses, where you filled your pumpkin with goodies. You loved visiting and wouldn't just take the candy and leave.

We ended the night by attending a party at the Wood's home, which was a chaotic good time. When we took down the Halloween decorations at home two days later, you said goodbye most of it individually and said hello to Happy Thanksgiving. You are the best, and you appreciate all the little things about holidays and every days. We love you, cowboy Cael.

Random Cute Pics

One shoe off, and the other shoe on...My son Cael.

Devouring the Beaters

Eating Dad's last sugar cookie, and smiling about it

Mohawk at Aunt Kirsti's

Mom's first haircut

Halloween Eve Pumpkin Carving

"Ew Doss. Kunkin Duts." (Translation: Ew Gross. Pumpkin Guts.)

The Pumpkin Carver with his Apprentice

This is the life.

We joined Da-da-ee for a little vacation to Glendale this week. While he attended his conference, we shopped, relaxed, and enjoyed our time together. You loved being in the hotel room, exploring everything and loving your bed being in the same room as ours. You enjoyed the elevator rides, swimming, eating at restaurants, and even shopping with Mom-mom. We had a great time.